WH Press Secretary to CNN’s Jim Acosta: ‘I Know It’s Hard for You to Understand Even Short Sentences’

(CNSNews.com) - White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders took CNN’s Jim Acosta took to task Thursday for taking her words out of context when she tried to answer to his question about the administration’s handling of illegal children and their parents while in DHS custody.

“On these children who are being separated from their families as they come across the border. The attorney general earlier today said that somehow there’s a justification for this in the Bible. Where does it say in the Bible that it’s moral to take children away from their mothers?” Acosta asked.

Sanders replied that she wasn’t aware of Sessions’ comments or what he would be referencing.

SANDERS: I can say that it is very biblical to enforce the law. That is actually repeated a number of times throughout the Bible.

ACOSTA: The Bible didn’t say it’s okay to keep children away from their parents.

SANDERS: Again, I’m not going to comment on the attorney general’s specific comments that I haven’t seen.

ACOSTA: “You just said it’s in the Bible to follow the law.

SANDERS: That’s not what I said, and I know it’s hard for you to understand even short sentences I guess, but please don’t take my words out of context, but the separation of illegal alien families is the product of the same legal loopholes that Democrats refuse to close, and these laws are the same that have been on the books for over a decade, and the president is simply enforcing them.

ACOSTA: How is that a moral policy to take children away from their parents. Can you imagine the horror that these children must be going through when they come across the border. They’re with their parents and then suddenly they’re pulled away from their parents. Why is the government doing this?

SANDERS:: Because it’s the law, and that’s what the law states.

ACOSTA: It doesn’t have to be the law. You guys don’t have to do that. It’s your policy.

SANDERS: You’re right, it doesn’t have to be the law, and the president has actually called on Democrats in Congress to fix those loopholes. The Democrats have failed to come to the table, failed to help this president close these loopholes and fix this problem. We don’t want this to be a problem. The president has tried to address it a number of occasions. We’ve laid out a proposal, and Democrats simply refused to do their job and fix the problem.

During a speech Thursday in Ft. Wayne, Ind., on the administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, Sessions said, “First, illegal entry into the United States is a crime—as it should be. Persons who violate the law of our nation are subject to prosecution. I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order.”

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.

4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

(Screenshot)

After CNN’s Acosta finished his line of questioning about the administration separating children from parents at the border, CBS News White House Correspondent Paula Reid continued to questioning, saying there was no law that requires families to be separated at the border.

REID: First of all, there is no law that requires that families be separated at the border. This was the administration’s choice to move from civil matters on immigration to criminal, to criminally prosecute people who come across the border illegally, and therefore, you have to separate families. So why did the administration find that this is necessary, and if it continues to not have much of a deterrent effect, will you continue this policy?

SANDERS: Again, the laws are the ones that have been on the books for over a decade, and the president is enforcing them. We would like to fix the broken system that our immigration-- and fix our immigration problem. However, until Democrats are willing to actually fix this problem, it’s gonna continue, but we would like to see if fixed.

REID: If the administration doesn’t want to take responsibility for its policy change from civil-- handling them as civil matters to criminal prosecution.

SANDERS: It’s not a policy change to enforce the law. That’s been this administration’s policy since the day we got here.

Reid said the administration was separating families as a deterrent from immigrants entering the United States illegally.

However, Sanders said, “The administration has had the same position since we started on day one that we were going to enforce the law.” She pointed out that enforcing immigration law wasn’t “high on the priority list” for the Obama administration, “but it is on ours.”

“We’re a country of law and order, and we’re enforcing the law and protecting our borders. We would like to fix these loopholes, and if Democrats would get serious about it instead of playing political games, they’re welcome to come here and sit down with the president and actually do something about it,” Sanders said.

Their exchange was followed by an outburst from Brian Karem, executive editor of the Sentinel newspapers, which covers Prince George’s and Montgomery County, Md.

As CNSNews.com reported, Karem asked if Sanders had any empathy as a mother for illegal children who are separated from their parents at the border.

“You’re a mother. Don’t you have any empathy? Come on Sarah, you’re a parent. Don’t any empathy for what these people are going through? They have less than you do? Sarah, come on, seriously. Seriously,” Karem said.

“I’m trying to be serious, but I’m not going to have you yell out of turn,” Sanders said. “Hey, Brian, I know you want to get some more TV time, but that’s not what this is about.”

“Honestly, answer the question.It’s a serious question. These people have nothing. They come to the border with nothing, and they throw children in cages. You’re a parent. You’re a parent of young children. Don’t you have any empathy for what they go through?” Karem asked.

Liberals expressed outrage with the Trump administration recently when former Los Angeles Mayor Anthony Villaraigosa tweeted pictures recently showing illegal immigrant children kept in cages by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The pictures were later revealed to have been taken during the Obama administration.

As CNSNews.com previously reported, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) told CNN’s “State of the Union with Jake Tapper” that the reason why she wasn’t outspoken about the Obama administration’s treatment of illegals was because she “didn’t really know enough about it at that time to focus on it.”

Sponsored Links

The mission of the Media Research Center is to create a media culture in America where truth and liberty flourish. The MRC is a research and education organization operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and contributions to the MRC are tax-deductible.